


Trust Fall

by DesireeArmfeldt



Category: Slings & Arrows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-09
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-16 17:07:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2277858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesireeArmfeldt/pseuds/DesireeArmfeldt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Young Geoffrey and Ellen do trust falls</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trust Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the prompt "fall" at [ds-snippets.](http://ds-snippets.livejournal.com)

“Come on, Geoffrey, just lean back.”

“You know I outweigh you by fifty pounds?”

“At least.  Don’t worry, I’ll catch you.”

“I’m not _worried,_ I just don’t—”

“You are so.  You’re a big, fat ‘fraidy-cat.”

“And I’m not _fat._ I also happen to be eight inches taller than you, and—”

“And you’re allowed to not live on lettuce because you’re a _man_.  Shut up and do the exercise before Oliver wonders what’s up.”

“Fine, _fine_.  Ready?”

“Ready.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, made himself stiff like a board and. . .didn’t fall backwards.

“Geoffrey?”

“This is pointless.  You’re not the one who has to carry me in your arms onstage, and—”

“It’s not about who can carry who.  It’s about trust.”  Ellen walked around in front of him to fix him with the piercing gaze that struck fear into the hearts of lesser men, riveted matinée audiences, and made Geoffrey want to make love to her in the nearest storage closet.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. . .”

“No?  Because it sure _seems_ like—”

“I trust you,” he said firmly, because it was the only thing to do, then turned his back on her, let himself fall, and knocked them both on their asses.

In his blacker moods, he tells himself he should have taken that as a sign.  _Frailty, thy name is woman_ , etc. etc.

But the truth is, the betrayal he still feels every single time he looks at Ellen isn’t really about her sleeping with Oliver.  It _should_ be, but apparently he’s forgiven her for that.

No, what makes him snipe and snarl even while he fantasizes about falling asleep in her arms—the betrayal he can’t forgive—is that she wasn’t there to catch him when he fell.


End file.
